WILD DARK SHORE
by Charlotte McConaghy
I loved Charlotte McConaghy’s Migrations which was published in 2020. So, when my friend Jane told me I would love her latest book, Wild Dark Shore, I got right on it. And, although quite different than her first book, Wild Dark Shore is a must-read. The novel is set on a very remote island close to Antarctica with nothing else around it for thousands of miles. Dominic Salt and his three children are the island’s only remaining inhabitants and they manage the world’s largest seed bank.
As sea levels keep rising and storms keep getting more severe, the seed bank is in danger of being destroyed. And, in the midst of one of these terrible storms, a woman washes ashore. The Salt family nurse Rowan back to health and her presence sparks a number of twists and turns in the Salts' story. Dominic isn’t convinced Rowan hasn’t come to the island deliberately, with some ulterior motive she’s not sharing. Rowan, who falls in love with each of Dominic’s children and eventually with Dominic, also harbors real doubts about Dominic’s story and what he is hiding from her.
At the same time as the momentum of the novel builds and actual dead bodies are uncovered, McConaghy writes one of the most poignant love stories I’ve read in ages. Yes, there is the magnetism that draws Rowan and Dominic together. But more memorable than that is Rowan’s joy at possibly finding a place in this ready-made family and her discovery of how strong her love for a child can be. Wild Dark Shore will stay with you for ages after you’ve finished reading. I can’t recommend it highly enough. (Liz)
